RN CANOE SLALOM CHAMPS 2009

 

This year's RN Canoe Slalom Champs took place in excellent conditions on the River Teifi in Llandysul, West Wales.  The normally shallow and rocky course was replaced by moderate to high water levels which enabled the novices to hone their new-found moving water skills whilst the more experienced competitors were presented with a challenging descent resulting in an unusually high proportion of missed gates!

Lt Mark Weilopolski (RNAS Yeovilton) and Lt Charlie Jones (HMS Collingwood) dominated the Men's and Ladies' K1 (Individual Kayak) class respectively whilst a number of beginners fought it out for the novice titles.  AET Sam Thompson (RNAS Culdrose) won the Ladies' Novice K1 whilst ET(ME) "Dionne" Warwick (Portsmouth Command) took the honours in the Men's Novice K1.  Meanwhile, the C1 (Individual Canoe) contest became more of a race to finish the course upright , Lt Matt Twiselton (RNAS Yeovilton) claimed the title in tricky circumstances.

Slalom continues to be one of the most popular kayaking and canoeing discipline as reflected by the steadily increasing level of attendance, particularly in the novice categories. The Royal Navy Kayak Association (RNKA) organises all competitive paddling within the RN and paddlers of all standards are extremely welcome to take part.  Further information on all disciplines and local RN canoe clubs can be obtained from the website www.rnka.co.uk or by sending an email to membership@rnka.co.uk